The Media Mirror

Media is hailed as the fourth pillar of democracy. It is meant to mirror the social changes and inform the public. But does it really advocate its ethos or are they the thing of the past? This is a serious question that we are forced to ask ourselves. The media in the hands of corporate has shrunk as news creators rather than being news revealers, something that they are originally hoped to be.

The power of the media, especially the digital media and the television media has gained supreme reach than ever; than any other. History has its pages for the acts of brevity in many occasions in the past. The expose of Watergate Scandal is cited as the prime example- that doomed Nixon’s political era – whenever the power of media is put on debate. The Indian version has many examples as well with this regard, though major political changes to the intensity of the Watergate had not been seen here.

Investigative journalism, a daring face of journalism has brought down powers on its knees rocking the nation. Tehelka is the first thing to strike one’s mind, in the Indian scene. Like every other field, media also finds itself under two categories- the main stream media and the parallel media. The main stream media is more vulnerable to power, political pressure, bias of any means and more importantly money. Though we’ve identified and list down a few here they’re all entwined together inseparably or closely interconnected entities. The parallel media, which has found its voice beyond its geographical barriers, especially after the social media revolution has began to evolve into the inevitable dimension of media in the future.

The politics of the media lies not in its sincerity in reporting the truth but lies in its area of focus in the vast canvas of truth. The choices it makes in choosing what to be reported, the intensity of investigating the truth and the time period it decides to keep it in the public forum- this is where the politics remains glued. Also the way it portrays a personality or an issue, the societal concerns it showcases and the psychological propaganda it takes on, all has a political twist in it.

The Power of Media

With the power of media anybody can be made a king or on the contrary be character assassinated. All it needs is meticulous and systematic planning and well meditated reiteration.

The main stream media which was meant to reveal the ‘real’ is now hustling towards obscuring the readers/viewers from it. We are left with no choice but the relaying on the media to keep us informed. That is in fact the peak of irony.

Media is indeed the mirror of the society. Yet all it reflects are not necessarily true. We live in an era where this mirror suffers heavy aberrations like ever before.